What I have learnt at University- Skills

University is so much more than attendance and passing. It’s about learning valuable life skills to prepare you to be a fully-fledged adult!

• Keep on top of your CV. Add any summer jobs, workshops etc that you have taken part in.
• Leading on from this- go to the Careers Services as soon as you can. I did not do this, and, in hindsight, really wish I did. To leave University with a top of the notch CV is really helpful. Plus, the Careers Advisers are really helpful with showing you where to look and how to advance your skills. And it’s all FREE.
• Self-awareness: learning where and when you work best is a really important skill to learn. Being in the zone is undeniably important to getting stuff done!
• Writing Skills: this has come from reading journals and books, to taking on board what the University expect.
• Research Skills: the use of archives and the ability to judge the reliable from the unreliable. Both Research and Writing Skills are applicable to most jobs in the future, so it’s good to work on building these skills in university. This could mean workshops or just good old practise!
• The ability to cook. I can use a microwave confidently and a toaster excellently! I’m still working on portion sizes for one though! Cooking for one person can sometimes be challenging, so I like to plan ahead and cook in bulk. Then I separate it into Tupperware and freeze it.
• On that note, I learnt that Tupperware is a student must have.
• Sticking to a budget: whether it’s per term, per week or even just for a food shop (or coffee budget!). Being aware of how much you’re spending and how much you can spend is important.
• Always have savings: even if it’s £10 a month. It’s worth it. There is nothing worse than being caught out and not having money.
• I learnt the value of caffeine.
• Being good is different. University is a perfect time to ask questions, be creative and try new things.
• Structure is important. I, personally, prefer having a structured week. It really helps with the workload of university if you have a strict structure.
• Get stuff done. I am the Queen of Procrastination. But sometimes you need pressing deadlines (even if they’re ones you have set yourself) to push you to you maximum and manage your work load.
• Finally, grades aren’t everything. Having looked at applications, job descriptions and quite frankly experiencing how flipping difficult it is to get a 1, I realised that actually the extra-curricular things are just as important as the grade itself. I am far more likely to get a 2:1 than a 1, and that is OK! Very few jobs require a 1.

I hope this helps, please feel free to leave comments and I will make sure to get back to you.